


The Skies We're Under

by lmontyy



Category: The Walking Dead (Telltale Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Anxiety, Canon Lesbian Relationship, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Ericson's Boarding School (Walking Dead), F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Lesbian Character, One Shot, Past Minerva/Violet (Walking Dead: Done Running), Separation Anxiety, Useless Lesbians, and i hc violet being shy about their romance, clem is a good mom and a good gf
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-06
Updated: 2020-11-06
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:14:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,345
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27412564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lmontyy/pseuds/lmontyy
Summary: Violet's nerves are frayed after a disastrous night from the raider attack. The next day, they set up preparations for their rescue mission, but first get some rest before they set out for their mission early the next morning. Anxiety befalls Violet that night, and for the first time since they've met, she seeks out Clementine's help to calm her down. Luckily for Violet, she's the luckiest girl in the world.
Relationships: Clementine/Violet (Walking Dead: Done Running)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 49





	The Skies We're Under

**Author's Note:**

> heya!
> 
> so, for the first time in literally over a year since i started writing, i FINALLY wrote for another pairing that i'm absolutely in love with. i know i'm definitely late to the party, but i finally decided to play twdg for myself, and holy fuck am i in love with it. ive decided to branch out a little and im enjoying it! the violentine train never stops :^)
> 
> i know for sure that my other works will probably do better as elliedina is more relevant and popular, but i definitely will write a few fics for them in the future as they are one of my therapy couples now and i absolutely adore their dynamic. i enjoy writing them so much. and i have so many headcanons about them and ughfjgf
> 
> more updates for my other stories and new elliedina stories will come soon, too!
> 
> THIS FIC IS INSPIRED BY "HOPELESS WANDERER" BY MUMFORD AND SONS!

Violet didn’t think she needed more reasons to have trouble sleeping. Every night, she would lie awake for hours in her bunk, staring up at the empty one just above her head. Her mind would race, her eyes would wander around the room, and the darkness that she knew should’ve comforted her in the safety of her room seemed to hang over her, pouring down on her, soaking her in nothing but her own misery.

The raiders had given her another reason to lay there, sleepless and terrified. She’d spent so many nights fearing for her life, fearing for the lives of the ones she loved. In a world such as the one she lived in, it was rare that you’d find someone who didn’t find themselves constantly fearing nothing and everything all at once.

She remembered what it had looked like when Louis was thrown in the back of the cart. How they dragged him as he screamed and cried out, hitting his head with the butt end of a rifle. And how their other two friends, Omar and Aasim, joined in shortly after. She remembered what it looked like when Mitch fell to the floor, lifeless.

Her hands felt numb.

Running fingers through her hair, along her scalp, she tried to bring herself to calm down. To forget about the thoughts that poisoned her mind just, if not, this once. Just so she could sleep.

They had a plan, all of them. All of the kids at Ericson had sat for hours, hard at work, finding every way they could to bring their friends back. Willy and the bomb, Ruby with the horses. Everyone seemed to know what they wanted, and everyone wanted them back, at whatever cost. They were willing to put everything on the line to get on that boat.

And so was she, but an image of the one cost she had to risk flashed through her mind and silenced every other painful thought in her mind.

_Those golden eyes. That cute face with that fucking dorky smile. The girl with the biggest heart and the most courageous soul. The one who makes me feel like everything, like the entire universe._ That was what she had to lose.

There was no end to Clementine’s bravery. She was willing to put her life in danger countless times, willing to give herself up for them all, and she stopped at nothing until she knew that her friends were safe back in the Ericson campus.

As much as she adored and admired that about Clementine, Violet feared every day and night that it would be the thing that would get that girl killed.

She forced back any thoughts of what could happen to her. Violet didn’t much care for herself – she was willing to give up just about anything to get her friends back home safely. It was just Clementine she worried about.

_Clem, AJ._ What would happen if she lost them. How she would react.

This girl wasn’t allowed to just walk into her life, show her what it meant to be loved, only to walk right out of it again, ripped away at the hands of a few raiders. She would never let that happen.

Her heart pounded against her chest, and tears threatened to push past pale green eyes. The darkness was choking her, and her mind did laps around itself. 

She was numb to the thought of the people she loved dying. She had gotten herself used to it. But just the idea that Clem could be killed in hours, it had her entire body shutting down and had her mind drowning, her lungs suffocating and despair crashed around her like debris. It had her crying, alone in her room, in the dead of night, curled up into the sheets with her head buried in her pillow.

_It can’t happen,_ she pressed.

“Ah, shit…” Violet mumbled aloud, sitting up with a hand still entangled in her hair. She sighed deeply as she glanced around her empty room. _It’s just too empty._

Contrast to her own room, Clem and AJ had been stockpiling little collectibles from all of their outings for the past few weeks that they’d been here. Every time Violet went in there – which was more frequently than she liked to admit – she would see something new that one of them picked up, placing it somewhere around the room. Clem said they liked to “personalize it”, but Violet was too soothed and amused to care what the reason they did it was. She wished she felt as comfortable in her own room as she did when she was spending time in theirs.

Earlier that day, Violet had gone into their room to find Clem. Her head had still been racing with thoughts of Minnie, how different she seemed. She hated it too much to even bring herself to think about it. She could only think of how angry she was at herself for letting this girl dominate her every thought – every time she was sad or mournful, Minnie’s face was the only one Violet would picture, and she was exhausted from it.

Clem was always so hopeful. There was so much goodness in her and, normally, had it been anyone else, she would roll her eyes and brush them off, looking for some ulterior motive or contradiction to their kindness or virtue. But it was Clem. There wasn’t a single other purpose. It was just her.

_I miss her._

The room felt even emptier as Violet imagined Clem in it with her. It made her yearn for her girlfriend’s touch, wanting nothing more than to find her way into those strong, skinny arms that held her so closely, or to drown in those honeyed eyes that would blow at the sight of her.

_I want to see her._

Swinging her legs over the side of her bed, a chill shocked her body when bare feet touched the cold wooden floor. Setting her arms across her body for warmth and comfort, she lifted herself to stand and slowly made for the door.

Violet didn’t even know what time it was. She figured it wasn’t too late, but for all she knew, it could’ve been two in the morning. Either way, even if she had to peak in – she just needed to see that perfect face. 

_Hopefully she’s awake,_ Violet kept her grip on her elbows as she made her way through the chilly halls of Ericson’s dorms. Thankfully, Clem’s room wasn’t too out of the way – a turn down the hallway and the first door to the right. Violet had the room memorized from when Minnie and Sophie lived in it.

Peaking around the corner, she stopped to stare at the door that was still and quiet in the dark, illuminated by the moonlight peering through the windows on the opposite wall. Violet felt a surge of doubt flood her, and her better judgment told her to leave Clem alone and turn back to her room. The rest of her judgment yearned to see Clem, even if just for a moment to ease her nerves. And that’s what she listened to.

After a shaky sigh, she reached a hand to the doorknob and as gently and quietly as she could, turned it and let herself in, the door opening with a slight creak. She opened it enough so that she could fit her slender body through, and after sliding in, back against the door, she closed it with a gentle click.

The sight of Clem and AJ sleeping was one that Violet knew she could never get sick of.

AJ was sound asleep, snoring away in his bed. Normally, he was alert and paranoid and would jump at the slightest noise in the night. But he was so far gone in his own slumber that he hardly flinched. But Clem, on the other hand, must’ve been sleeping lightly enough that she heard the door. Or maybe, part of her felt someone come in.

“Vi?” The tired whisper came from the left bed. Violet looked to see Clem sitting up, propped up on her elbows. Confusion and delight crossed her face.

“Hey,” Violet murmured in return, a smiling twitching on her lips as she stepped forward.

Clem started to get up, but when she saw Violet moving toward her bed, she stopped and wiped her eyes. “Are you okay? What’s going on?”

There was something so comforting about Clem’s voice. Maybe it was her frayed nerves, but hearing the girl’s concern muddled in her question and seeing those bright, tired eyes when she walked in, it had Violet’s mind skidding to a halt.

“Yeah… yeah, I’m good,” She crouched down far enough so that she was just below eye-level with Clem, who was still resting on an elbow in her sheets, searching Violet’s face in the darkness for some kind of answer. “Just anxious, that’s all.”

She seemed surprised. Violet was not one to be expressive or honest about the way she was feeling, and she definitely never sought help to deal with her emotions, either. She knew that about herself. And Clem knew it, too, but when Violet bore her anxiety to her, she saw Clem’s eyes light up at the fact that Violet had come to her with a problem such as that.

“What’s wrong?” Clem asked, worry staining her voice as she readjusted herself to turn every ounce of her attention onto the blonde girl crouching beside her bed. It made Violet’s heart melt.

“Nothing, I just…” She sighed through her nose as she tried to force the words glued to the back of her throat out of her mouth and into the open. “I don’t know. I guess I’m just scared for Louis and the rest of them.”

“Oh… hey,” Scooting over slightly on the mattress, she gently patted the bed next to her with a small, sincere smile. “Come on, get up here.”

The gesture took Violet aback, and she raised herself slightly and put her hands up. “No, no, it’s okay…” The idea alone made her feel like she would be violating Clem’s space. She didn’t mean to make her feel obligated to help her, she had just wanted to see her. “That’s your bed and all… I just came to see you…"

Although, she _really_ wanted to get in that bed with her.

“Come on, Vi,” Clementine’s little giggle at her shyness was almost too much for her. “It’s really okay. Unless you like your ass being cold down there?”

Violet chuckled through her nose. She shook her head and the doubt washed away. She finally gave in after the reassurance. “Alright…” Swallowing the bashfulness, she lifted herself up and slowly slid into the sheets next to Clementine.

The second her skin touched against the sheets and felt the stirring of the girl next to her, Violet felt every single one of her anxieties melt away. And when Clementine turned her body to face her, and she was met with those beautiful brown eyes and that one-sided smile, the air seemed to turn to feathers around them.

“Talk to me,” Clem pressed, eyebrows tilting upward and her lips pursing, nothing but pure concern written across that face. It was impossible to reject the opportunity.

“It’s just… the whole thing with Lou, and the other two. And now, Minnie…” She trailed off. Her eyes averted away when the racing thoughts made their way back in. But now was the time to let them out. “I just can’t believe she’s with them now…” She grimaced, face contorting as her heart ached just remembering the girl and the way she was.

“I know…” Clem sighed lightly, sharing her lament. Violet felt a warm hand press into her own, and it encouraged her to continue. It lit up all the nerves in her hand and her fingers, soothing her from head to toe. She never wanted her to let go.

“I’m just angry and confused and… sad, I guess?” Violet sighed. “Like, why would she run off with them? Even if Marlon _did_ send her and Sophie away, why didn’t she come back with us when she saw us in the woods today? Why didn’t she leave when she saw me?” Her chest felt tight and bruised. She felt betrayed.

“I wish I knew,” The younger girl admitted, averting her eyes for a moment, only to look back up at Violet with sorrow painted in the golden brown color. “I’m sure there has to be a reason.”

“It just… threw me off, I guess. To see her after a year of not even knowing what happened to her, and it’s like she barely even cared. Even when I hugged her, something was different. That wasn’t Minnie.”

_God, I feel like such a burden._ Violet couldn’t help but remember their conversation from earlier. It had been right there, in that same room, where Violet had let go some of the thoughts she’d had about their confrontation with Minnie in the woods. Clem had been there to see all of it.

“Remember what I told you?” Clem asked, eyes scanning over her girlfriend’s face still. “We can still save her.”

“You’re so convinced,” Violet half-chuckled to herself, amused by just how big that heart was. That heart she loved so much. “I wish I could think more like you sometimes.”

Clem’s face seemed to furrow in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“You’re always just so… positive. You always know what you want and how to get it and it’s always for someone else,” A sigh escaped her lips and Clem seemed to ease in understanding. “You’re literally orchestrating this big plan to get Louis and Omar and Aasim back. You helped us with all of our defenses. You risked your life every day helping Ruby and Willy gather stuff. I don’t know, I just admire you a lot.” It was so much easier for Violet to admit, and all it took was Clem’s beautiful face to be laying right in front of her, staring at her with those eyes of hers. She squeezed the hand in her palm a little tighter, receiving a squeeze in response.

“I think you give me a little too much credit,” Clementine smiled then, a breathy chuckle escaping past those lips that Violet just wanted to lean in and kiss so badly. “I care about everyone here, you know. All of you, I just want everyone to be safe.”

“I guess…” Violet smiled back, her eyes traveling away again. But slowly, those thoughts of what could happen creeped their way back into her brain. What could happen to Clementine if the plan went sour. “You saved me when the raiders came…” She tried to brush back those thoughts with memories of everything Clem had ever done for her.

“I care about you, Violet,” The younger girl urged. “You, AJ… You’re my first priority. You know that, right?”

She did know. She knew and it made her heart swell and threaten to burst. She wasn’t used to that. Having someone tell her that she was most important? Every moment of pain or strife in her life had been worth it to get to that point, in that bed with Clementine, just laying there and listening to her tell her how much she meant to her. It was a dream, and she didn’t want to wake up.

“I don’t know what I would’ve done if it was you that was taken,” Clem admitted, eyes moving away as she spilled her thoughts out to Violet who watched her with wide eyes and rapt attention, drinking in every word that came out of her mouth. “I probably would’ve done something stupid. Like, run out on my own after them. Or taken my gun and tried to get on the boat myself.” She chuckled to herself with a shake of her head. “I wouldn’t know _what_ I’d do, it just wouldn’t be anything smart."

“I’m scared, Clem,” Violet confessed, the heavy anvil sitting on her chest lifting slowly with every word that passed her lips. “I can’t stop thinking about what would happen if things go wrong on that boat.”

“Vi…”

The warmth in her palm disappeared, and from he corner of her eye she saw Clem’s hand making a slow move to her face. Picking her own hand up, Violet reached and gripped Clem’s wrist, stopping her in mid-air and leaving her face racked with sorrow and worry.

“I can’t get the thought of losing you out of my head. I can’t shake it off,” Pale green eyes were locked with golden brown ones. Solemn and frightened, there was an echo of desperation in the quiet room. Violet’s fingers wrapped around her girlfriend’s wrist tighter. “All I keep thinking about is you risking yourself for me, or for anyone else.”

“Let go,” Clem whispered softly as she gently jerked the wrist enclosed by Violet’s hand.

Violet didn’t listen. She could only grip tighter. She didn’t want to let go. “I can’t lose you.”

“Violet,” Her voice was more pressing. “Let go.”

She could only frown, her face contorting with melancholy as the thoughts settled in her mind. She couldn’t formulate a response, she just held on like Clem would disappear if she let go.

“I want to touch you,” Clem’s whisper was enough to break down every one of Violet’s walls.

Almost immediately, Violet pried her fingers away and let them hover just above the smooth skin of Clementine’s wrist and forearm before that heat slipped away from her palm and planted itself against her cheek. She hardly had time to process the hand that affectionately found her face and held there.

Violet’s downcast eyes made her way back up to hers with a look of both surprise and dejection. She searched those honey pools that stared intensely into her, searching for any kind of explanation as she nearly melted away into the feeling of Clem’s hand on her face. When a thumb began to brush over the smooth skin of her cheek, Violet’s mind nearly short-circuited.

“I’m right here,” A soothing wave washed over her when that tranquil voice found her ears. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Her assurance was enough. Hearing her say it, she knew it would be okay. She wanted nothing more than for it to be okay. 

She could never admit it out loud, but she desperately needed Clem. She had doubted coming into her room, she had doubted even coming near it. But when Clem smiled at her as her thumb grazed her cheek, palm pressed warmly against her and nothing but love and reassurance falling from her mouth, every single doubt that Violet had washed away instantly.

“You won’t forget, right? About the bell tower?” Violet pressed, eyes searching desperately in Clementine’s and finding nothing but adoration there.

“How could I forget, doofus?” Clementine only chuckled softly, smiling widely as the memories of their first kiss and their constellation hunting fell upon both of them. Her hand pulled away from Violet’s face for a moment to shift her jacket, thumb hooking underneath the pin Violet had gifted her. Her gorgeous face was beaming. “I’ve got this special little thing, remember?”

A breathy giggle escaped in response. _That took forever to make, and I hated every second of it._ She remembered, but when Clem’s face lit up at the sight of Violet handing it to her, every agonizing second of crafting it and putting it together vanished. It had a purpose, and it was worth it.

After a moment of silence, Violet only sighed, eyes gazing and dreamy as her mind surfed through the waves of memories – all of the emotions she felt on that tower – and she sighed with reminiscence.

“I kinda wish we could’ve just stayed up there forever,” She admitted, voice welled with warmth and tenderness that had Clem’s face softening almost instantly at the words.

A smile slowly stitched its way across her lips. “Me, too.” 

Comfortable silence befell them both. The dark, quiet room wasn’t chilly anymore – Clem’s hand had made its way back on her skin, resting gently on Violet’s neck, and suddenly everything was warm again.

AJ was still sound asleep behind him, his breathing the only other sound in the room other than their own breaths intertwining together and the cool breeze pressing up on the glass of their boarded window.

Violet let her eyes wander all over the face of the girl in front of her, taking in all of Clem’s features. The way her smile illuminated and little dimples on her cheeks. The way her nose flared ever so slightly whenever she breathed in. The way her eyes glowed in the shade where the moon peered in. She watched those eyes follow suit with Violet’s, adventuring all over her face and drinking in every little detail of her face. Blood creeped up to her cheeks, and everywhere Clem’s eyes traveled, a sparking sensation was left in its path.

“Are you okay?” Her whisper was so innocent and gentle, built with a comforting concern.

Violet could only smile lightly at the way Clementine just… cared. She cared so much that it ached. “Yeah, I’m okay.”

“Good.”

In another bout of silence, Violet knew she should head back to her room to give Clem the room to sleep. She knew that Clementine needed the sleep more than anyone in the building. She didn’t want to impose, either. After all, she’d basically let herself in.

“Well, I, uh…” The shyness returned as Violet pulled away reluctantly, a hand scratching at the back of her head awkwardly. “I know it’s late, and I’m sorry to bother you. I’m feeling better now, so I’ll just…”

As she moved to stand up, Clementine’s hand darted out again, landing on the small of her back and keeping her locked in place on the sheets before she could even make it to the edge of the bed. Pale green eyes turned to look her deeply into her own, confused and wondrous.

“Stay.”

Clementine’s quiet plead was Violet’s undoing. She didn’t even _try_ to protest. Instantly, she moved to slip back into sheets with the younger girl, unapologetically pressing herself as close to her as she possibly could. All of the shyness dripped away. She just wanted to be close to her.

There were no other words. Clementine pulled her close again, but after a moment of admiring those beautiful sun-colored eyes, Violet watched as Clem’s face got closer and ever closer, until she closed the gap between their faces, just as she had on that bell tower. It was only a second of surprise for Violet before she was responding with a soaring heart and a racing mind.

Kissing Clementine was something that she was still not used to – Violet was convinced she would _never_ get used to it. It was a completely earth-shattering feeling. It would knock the wind from her lungs every time their lips pressed together.

Violet’s hand carefully placed itself on Clem’s face, much like Clem had held hers. Clem’s hand found solace on Violet’s neck similarly to before, as the two of them continued to kiss, long and full of adoration. What she knew to be seconds felt like full minutes of the girls embracing each other in the most intimate and passionate way Violet had ever experienced with anyone. 

Her heart raced and shocks shot down her entire body. Every thought in her mind had come to a complete halt – every time Clem’s soft lips found Violet’s again, it would burn the thoughts right out of her brain, chasing them into the empty air and making way for all of her attention to be on that beautiful girl in front of her. How lucky she was to be kissing Clementine. Of all people, it was her who had completely swept her off of her feet and moved her entirely with just a press of their lips together. Who would’ve known?

Fiery eyes were full and blown when she pulled away, Clem’s face brushed over with a shade of pink, with Violet assuming hers was the same to match. It had been their second kiss. _Well, it was a few kisses, but I guess our second works just fine._

Violet could only smile – there was no stopping the way it creeped across her lips. Her chest felt so full that she was sure it would explode. Clem’s hand found her cheek once again, her thumb brushing the soft, pale skin. Violet thought she could stay there forever.

“Get some sleep, okay?” The sweetest whisper had every muscle in Violet’s body easing and sinking into the mattress beneath them. “We’ve got a long day tomorrow.”

“Okay,” Violet only murmured back. Who was she to deny the welcomes of such a comforting embrace of sleep? Beside the girl she knew she cared about more than anyone in the world? The tired, adoring look on Clem’s face, accompanied by AJ’s whistling snores from the bed across the room – nothing had ever felt more like home.

All of her anxieties seem to slip away into the breeze, her head finding comfort placed against Clementine’s, nuzzled against her jaw and neck as strong, thin arms embraced her and held her close. Before long, she heard the deep breathing of the girl she held turn into the cutest little snores to match AJ’s, and Violet was sure she’d fallen asleep in just minutes.

Head pressed to her neck, Violet listened peacefully to the faint heartbeat deep in her body, reveling in the sound of Clementine’s humanity and completely surrendering to the peace it brought her to hear it. She’d never been close enough to anyone – not even Minnie – to get as close as to hear their heartbeat. The very thing that makes them human, makes them alive. 

She’d had her fair share of joyous, embracing moments with Minnie, but nothing ever compared to pressing her ear to Clem’s neck and chest and hearing her heart beat, keeping her alive. 

Every moment that Violet listened was another precious moment that could be ripped away from her at any given second.

All thought of what was to come had completely wasted away, replaced by the comforting sound of Clem’s breathing and the soft thud of her heartbeat as the girl slept. Violet hardly remembered what the next day had to offer – what dangers would lurk and await them – because none of that mattered. Clem was there, she was alive, and she filled her to the brim with hope and optimism. That was all she needed to finally shut her eyes and join her girlfriend for bed.

Eyes gently closed, she kept her head there for many seconds, which then turned to minutes, which turned to hours that Violet couldn’t recall because within the first minute, she let herself drift off with the sound of Clementine’s heart echoing in her ears and mind, taking her far away to a world with just her and the girl she loved.

•••

Sunlight peered through the barred windows and made a path directly to his bed, pressing against his face and cracking his eyes open with a deep breath. Bringing his hands up to his face to wipe his drowsy eyes with his palms, AJ’s mind slowly brought him down to reality as night faded into a blissful morning over Ericson, one that seemed to completely contradict the contents of what the day had planned.

Sitting up gently, AJ stretched out his back and arms as the room became clearer to him in the shining morning light. Although, something seemed different about their room.

Immediately, his guard went up. He’d let himself fall into a deeper sleep than he normally did – which he guessed was due to exhaustion from the raider preparation and their raid on Ericson. He scanned the room for anything out of place and, surprisingly, he found nothing at first glance. He wiped his eyes again. So, what felt off?

When he noticed what it was, it nearly startled him. Looking across the room to Clementine’s bunk, there was a completely different set of clothes on the mattress, facing away from him. They looked oddly familiar, but he slowly, quietly brought himself to his feet and stalked his way over, looking for a face to match the body. 

A certain angle and a quick remembrance had him floored to see Violet in Clementine’s bed. And what was more, Clem was holding onto her tightly, Violet snuggled into her, much like AJ used to do with her all of the time in his younger years.

He sat and watched for a moment, wide-eyed and wondrous, trying to make sense of why Violet had ended up in Clem’s bed, and when it had even happened. She hadn’t been there when he fell asleep, he knew that much. 

But when he realized how both girls had been fast asleep, completely dozed off, AJ couldn’t help but smile. Especially when he noticed how peaceful Clementine looked.

With a sigh of satisfaction through his nose, his shoulders dropped and his face lightened as he turned, aiming to head for his bed where his shoes were placed right to the side, against the floor. But as he took a wrong step, a floorboard underneath him creaked as more weight pushed on it. Quickly, AJ brought his foot away, and his eyes darted to the sleeping girls across the room. A sigh of relief followed as he realized he hadn’t made enough noise to wake them.

His mind was busy when he turned away from the pair in the bed across from him. Thinking about the raid, their plan, what could be in store for them all. All of the people he cared about – Clem, Violet, Tenn – all of their lives could end right there in front of him that night.

_Don’t let the fear take over._ Clem’s words would always echo in his head whenever his thoughts got to be like that. Whenever he got overwhelmed, he would think of Clementine and the group at Ericson, and how he felt like, even at times when his nerves would get the best of him, knowing that deep down he had a home, a place, and a purpose. He and Clementine both.

Taking a deep breath, he slowly and quietly made for the door. Avoiding the squeaky spots in the floorboards, and grabbing the back of the chair for support, he kept his eyes glued to Clem’s occupied bed. Every step he took, he was careful and silent.

As he reached the door, his eyes, which had averted to the door when he reached out and grabbed for the knob, turned back to fall upon the sleeping girls in Clem’s bed. Both were still sound asleep, embraced in each other’s arms, undisturbed. The room was soft and quiet around them, their hold on each other so fragile and gentle that AJ couldn’t help but smile.

_It’s been so long since I’ve seen Clem like this…_ AJ thought, reassured by the sight of her and Violet. _Actually, I don’t think I’ve ever actually seen Clem like this._

All of those nights on the run, away from people and surrounded by the darkness and monsters creeping around every corner. AJ sighed deeply, his smile only growing. 

_It really was all worth it. Just like she said it would be._

He turned away again, the image of Clem’s sleepy smile in her slumber beside Violet still engrained in his brain. He wouldn’t forget it.

_I should go find Tenn. Rosie probably needs food, too._ With a turn of the handle, AJ was careful to ease the squeaky door just enough to slide his little body through, the door closing behind him with a click, leaving Clem and Violet to sleep in for the first time since they arrived.

He started down the hallway, throwing a glance to the door behind him and walking off with a smile.

**Author's Note:**

> hi! i hope you enjoyed the read! please let me know what you think, and if you gave this a try (i know its different!) i really appreciate it. please let me know what you think!
> 
> you can follow my tumblr @lmontyy or lmontyy.tumblr.com. there i post updates on my writing, personal stuff, and i spam with the last of us, legend of korra, and twd game content. my twitter handle is also @l_montyy, and i use this occasionally. :)
> 
> again, thank you! i hope you enjoyed. comments and thoughts are appreciated!
> 
> much love,  
> monty


End file.
